


Cold and Clockwork

by Midgard_writer



Series: The Phase Beyond [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22606411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midgard_writer/pseuds/Midgard_writer
Summary: (AU) After the events of Endgame. When a new challenge arises, Dr. Strange and the team is called up to bat once more. Only this time, however, they have Earth's old foe on their side. Loki's strange hatred for the wizard peaks his curiosity. They have to learn to work together to stop the new foe, but Loki knows more than he'd like to admit.
Relationships: Loki/Stephen Strange
Series: The Phase Beyond [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904587
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoy!

The light of the silver moon illuminated all who passed, and the mountains looked more like a well respected painting. Very few cars curved down paved roads, and those that did were making their way home. The dirt roads that led to mountain trails were untouched, except for a single van. The car collected dust along its wheels, as it drove into the hills. Though the night was quiet, they knew they could get to the top without too much trouble. 

The four that hid in the van said nothing to one another. They weren’t sure what to say, if they were honest. The young lady in the passenger’s seat kept her eyes outside, knowing it was almost time for their plan to be executed. Her hand swirled one of the tiny grey streaks in her hair, with her mind on the mission. She knew the group had one shot to take down the facility. They had been training for months for a perfect strike, and this moment was better than any. The girl had not wanted to attack, but it was by means necessary. It was for a plan that the four had been thinking of long ago. If all was to go well, the girl would meet the people she had longed to see since she could remember...

The driver kept his eyes along the dirt road, guided by the beautiful moonlight. His greasy blond hair covered his beady eyes, as he focused on the task at hand. Benjamin avoided the pain from the scar on his cheek. He could forget his nerves as he thought about the mission he and the others were about to encounter. But he could not, for the life of him, let the idea of losing get to him. He hummed to himself as he turned the corner, slowly climbing the mountains to the storage unit. 

“Would you please stop singing?” a nervous voice muttered from the back,” What if those guards can hear you? Do you want to be exposed?”

Benjamin glared in the mirror. The young Asian man glanced nervously outside of the tinted windows. He awkwardly picked at his face tattoo, constantly assuming the worst. That was something Ben hated about Sebastian- he was always horrified.

“I was not singing,” the driver protested, his tone rough and gravely,” I was humming. There is a difference.”

“It won’t matter if we get caught,” the young lady from the front intervened,” so I suggest listening to Sebastian and keeping a close eye out. Try to figure out if you can hear or see anything.”

“I’ll get right on it, your royal highness,” Benjamin mumbled.

The young man stopped the van suddenly. He closed his eyes and thought forward. He could see the facility, standing tall- but hidden- upon the mountain. The metal and camouflage blended well amongst the trees and dirt. Two soldiers guarded the front, their guns close to their bodies and gear on tightly. They meant business, as did the two soldiers guarding the back. Once the vision ended, Benjamin’s eyes opened as his head reeled back. The scar across his cheek burned bright as he mumbled a few curses to himself. The girl leaned over to make sure he was okay. He looked up at the teen, shaking slightly as she softly asked him to tell her what he saw.

“There’s two soldiers guarding the back, and two in the front,” the man noted aloud,” it’s just as heavily built as we planned on it being.”

“Thank you,” she nodded and unbuckled her seatbelt, turning to the back,”Do we all remember the plan?” 

“We’ve had this in mind for a long time,” Hadia recalled from the back seat,” We could never forget it.”

“What if this doesn’t go right?” Sebastian asked as the girl took to the driver’s side, Benjamin crawling to the back,” I know it’s a shame to always assume the worst, but what if they catch us? Besides, we should be staying home- it’s a school night for you, Saga!”

The girl looked back at her family and saw worriment. She knew they had their doubts just as much as she did. All those years they spent together had been bitter, in some ways, and strong in most. She saw emotions that were unthinkable, yet she just gave a smile. 

“We’re going to be okay,” she reassured,” I have faith that all of us are going to end this mission on a more successful note. I may be the youngest, but I know you three always used your skills to the best of your abilities. That’s what Poli used to tell us, remember?”

The car went silent for a moment as they drove on. They never forgot about Poli or what she did for the four. Especially Saga. She swore to her mother that she’d do whatever it took to protect her daughter. For years, Poli jumped (and flew) through hoops to keep the young lady safe. Even when her world was fading fast, and all the four had was a will to finish their mission. 

The guards stood firmly by the door. They watched the entrance of the hill, checking every vehicle that passed. They would not allow a harmful soul to set foot on their secluded territory. As his eyes scanned the area, the first guard noticed a new car approaching the bend. It was one of their vans from the facility, with big doors and a dull silver color. But he hadn’t remembered letting anyone out. He hastily walked over, caution in every step. He looked into the window of the front seat with his gun raised, ready for an attack. The only one in the van was one of their own soldiers, who had a helmet on securely. The driver turned to the guard and nodded.

“Evening,” they said, voice sounding a bit off.

“Everything okay, Jack?” the other guard, who stood firmly by the door, questioned.

“Yeah, yeah,” the first guard looked back to the driver,” May I see your badge number and identification?”

“I came from General Walker herself,” the driver continued,” I have to drop off a new shipment of guns. Didn’t she call the base?”

The guard was becoming suspicious of the driver. Though he couldn’t tell, this was definitely an imposter. Perhaps a kidnapper or terrorist of some sort. 

“Sir,” he said,” Step out of the vehicle.”

As he said so, Sebastian--from behind the man-- grabbed the guard by the vest and threw him back. The guard tried to ram the end of his gun into the young man’s chest, but failed to do so. He pointed his gun to the young man in the hopes of taking him down. Sebastian closed his eyes as one man became three. One clone ran to the guard that lied on the ground, and the other ran to the second guard. 

By now, the other guard had been distracted by the cloning man. His second clone dove for the guard’s legs in an effort to take them down. While they battled it out, Saga appeared in the front seat, a soft green glow overcoming her. The van returned to its normal color, and she was surprised on how her shapeshifting ways were improving. She hopped out and ran to the front with Hadia and Benjamin. The woman knew her job was crucial for the entire plan to work. With much effort, the woman placed her heating hands against the door. The metal slowly melted as she cut a circle through the steel. The pain was tingling in her fingers and palms, though Hadia tried not to scream. The dripping, hot metal poured from the new hole, the circle crashing down in front of them. 

“I knew you could do it,” Saga insisted with a smile,” I’ll ice your hands when this is over. Now, we’re gonna need all hands on deck- where’s Sebastian?”

Sebastian came back, as his clones came along. They had not yet come together, as much more protection had been inside. He approached them with a smile, and sweat covering his tattoo, and he looked tired. But he would not quit- not when there was so much more to do.

“I’ve got any guards that are inside,” he said,”I’ll need to clone myself even more- which means I could need back up.”

“I’ll have your back,” Benjamin insisted.

With that, the two men went off to fight the other guards. They had their plan formulated, as the women ran to the vault. By the time they had reached the place, Benjamin and Sebastian (with his clones) had been watching out for guards. Hadia’s hands overheated the security system, which short circuited in an instant. Distant sirens blared as the woman worked her magic. The doors jerked open slowly, and they were now allowed into a world of weaponry and high technology.

Saga set foot on the floor, eyes on each gun and mechanical weaponry. Her cold hand slid over even colder weapons. Chills sent down her spine (as they often did) as she watched the room. She had dreamed for months about the beautiful weapons facility that had lived in the Montana hills. The one she saw in her dreams. Noticing security cameras all around, she quickly searched for her weapon of choice. One she had seen from the computers Benjamin hacked into months prior. 

“You guys collect anything that’s gonna be useful,” she slinked through the rows,” I’m going to find my weapon.”

“You would think, for people who had special powers, that we wouldn’t need any fancy guns or explosives,” Ben brought up as he picked up a plasma ray.

“Our powers cannot always be used without consequences,” Hadia explained,” you know this. If I were to overheat my hands, or Sebastian to have one too many clones, or you to sense too much at once, or even Saga was overuse a power like manipulating a large group-”

“Even though she still hasn’t gotten those kinds of tricks down right.”

Saga knew she had not been using the best of her abilities. She had been learning to control them since the family left New York City. Her superhuman powers had been hard to control, and even now she didn’t have anything fully under control. The winters had been the hardest, being that her best abilities only came out during the coldest times. She hadn’t had much time to train and control these powers, and her knowledge of spells had been kept to a minimum. By the time their mission was over, the group would know much more about the powers their youngest member had. 

She swerved through the rows, until she saw the weapon she was looking for. It had been in a secluded part of the facility with its own code and special casing. The blue sphere at the end shimmered in the dancing light. Dark grey metal covered the beautiful staff, something she longed for. The girl smiled as she stepped forward, reading the information that had been encased. 

“This unnamed Asgardian staff was kept away for safe keeping. It is not to be touched under any circumstances and is to be closed off. In the events of an emergency, keep this item protected, along with any other objects that may be encased.”

Asgardian rang a bell to Saga. One of her parents had been from Asgard. She assumed it was her mother, being that Poli and the others hadn’t known much about her father. That’s how it was with a lot of heroes and villains, she had seen. Even in stories, parents had not been a part of it all. They were raised by outsiders and (at times) dangerous people. She had been part of the lucky ones. 

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Ben called out, sensing that guards had been all around. 

“Yeah,” she nodded, grabbing his gun and smashing the end of it into the glass.

It had been the tough glass, that only now had hairline fractures. She hit it once more, and again, and again, watching as the glass had now been cracking all over. With a last blow, glass shattered and the staff was stored behind the girl. Though she received a few cuts, Saga could not lose time. The four of them fled to the back door, and slipped off to get their van. 

Two back door guards had already been taken down by two Sebastian clones, who morphed together with the original. The group ran, admiring their new weaponry. Saga had been proud that the staff was behind her, their mission on its way to success. When they approached the front, they were stopped by five armed soldiers, and the man they knew as Sergeant Jay Rolland. He angrily stood before them, the four huddling together. 

“Hello sirs,” Ben nodded,” Good night, I suppose.”

“You four are on government property,” he glared,” and it seems you have a bit of our weaponry.”

“We need it,sir,” Saga brought up,” for a-”

“Do you think I was born yesterday?” he laughed, then remained silent,” nobody with unauthorized access to our weapons facility is allowed in. So, drop any weapons you have and let’s take you where you belong. I’m sure they’ll treat you with real respect when you get there!” 

Saga glanced to her friends, then to Hadia. She nodded and tossed down whatever weaponry they had. Then Sebastian, then Benjamin. The girl grabbed the staff, feeling a cold sensation run down her back. Her skin allowed the winter feeling to spread around, and it didn’t bother her. As her hand wrapped around the staff, she made eye contact with Jay. He glared at her, waiting for the staff to be thrown on the top. She knew nothing about its powers or what to do with it. But she had a chance.

Quickly, Saga whipped the weapon out and pointed the sphere to the people. Frost covered the sphere, and light and frost swept over the group. The girl pulled away after a minute, confused by the powers that had emerged. Hadia and the boys looked to the soldiers and the Sergeant. They had been frozen in ice, weapons still raised. Saga lowered the weapon, looking at her hands. They had blue, with thin markings on her skin. 

“They’ve never been this visual,” she whispered and looked to the others,” My skin has always such a pale blue when-”

“The staff brings out more in you,” Sebastian brought up,” we should probably discuss this later.”

Saga put the staff on her back, seeing that all returned to normal. She studied her hands as she hopped in the passenger’s seat, wondering what true powers the staff could help her gain control of. As they sped away,a young soldier ran out of the building. He saw the mess left for him, and the van that drove down the walkway. He saw the soldiers and the misfortune they had faced. He saw ice and snow simply cover the area and he knew what was happening. Quickly, he pulled out his phone, and dialed a number. He waited, until he heard a voice.

“Dexter?”

“Hill,” he said,” we have a situation. Please tell me you can get some of your men down here.”

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Ice powers. I come out here and find a bunch of soldiers just frozen in a block of ice. Looks like they got the sergeant too.”

“Don’t tell me we have to fight Elsa,” Maria joked.

“I don’t know,” Dexter went on,”Something like that- something about this reminds me of an incident, from a long time ago. I think we’re gonna need some heroes to step in.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Honking horns and shouting people filled New York City to the brim. Residents were used to it, as noise was typical in their bustling city. In the afternoons, it died down (in a way), but after five, it was hectic. But on the afternoon in question, a calm demeanor rose, despite the chaos that surrounded the boroughs. So calm, that Wong decided to walk home from the store, instead of teleporting to avoid any sort of traffic.

Stephen had insisted, when arguing about who was going to go, that he had to stay home. Of course, someone had to stay in the sanctum, but the doctor had been persistent. Although he wondered about Stephen’s behavior, he simply shrugged it off and went to the markets. Yet, as he walked down the road, he regretted not interrogating his friend- and taking the shorter route.

Wong struggled up the stairs, bags in his hands. He tried to open the front door even with his magic. He looked over the bags as he came into the room.

“Thank you for your help, Stephen!” The man said rather loudly,” I know the universe can count on you to save it. And I can count on you to take groceries.”

Wong felt a sudden force beside him. He jumped when he saw the cloak laying before him. It moved two of its corners, as if it had a thought of its own. Slowly, Wong placed the bags on his friend’s cloak. It zipped past and to the kitchen. The keeper looked down the hall and peered.

“There’s ice cream in there…” he mumbled, and glanced around the hall,” Stephen?”

He called for the man while he climbed the stairs. He didn’t know which room the doctor could be in, and while it wasn’t a dire situation, he would’ve liked to know. As he got to the top of the stairs, the cloak flew past him once more. As Wong spun once, he found himself in the training room at the end of the second floor hall. The man looked around and saw Stephen. He stood on his feet, eyes closed and hands in front of him. The time stone’s soft glow could be seen on his chest, working for magic. He looked concentrated on his work, and didn’t even look at his friend when he was teleported into the room. 

“Did you get the ice cream?” Stephen asked without looking up.

“Chocolate, vanilla, butter pecan,” Wong glanced the doctor up and down,” Practicing a spell?”

“I couldn’t sleep last night,” he admitted as his eyes opened up,” I had another nightmare about the end of our world. And no, not with Stark’s demise, but with something colder. It was like a second ice age and I found myself fighting someone. Anyway, I went to the library after that. I wanted to see what kind of spells we’ve got. There’s a whole shelf on elemental spells that I was reading up on. Now, I’m on some kind of fire spell...of sorts.”

“Maybe you can show me how it works?” Wong raised an eyebrow, curious as to what tricks Stephen was learning.

The doctor adjusted himself as his hands and arms stretched slightly. The doctor took a deep breath and hoped for the best. He moved his hands in triangular motions. He started off slow, then sped up with all of his might. Then, when his arms were high in the air, he slammed his palms together twice and snapped his fingers. Fire spouted above the tips of his fingers, the light hovered beautifully, and Wong nodded, with a half smirk.

“Impressive,” he brought up as Stephen blew the fire out,” but I can show you tricks that would burn a city down- not that I’ve ever done that before.”

“I don’t plan on using spells for a long time,” the doctor mentioned,” or spells like that at all. Just something to keep me occupied while I take time off.”

His companion gave a solemn nod. As he had been showing off his talents, outside of a second floor room, in between the sanctum in another building, movement buzzed about. A certain bug hero climbed the walls of the sanctum, his ‘Night Monkey’ suit on for protection. Peter hoped that the wizards had been home so that he could bring them to their new destination. He peered into the window of the second floor, trying to adjust to the dark.

“Karen,” he said softly,” please turn on Night Vision.”

“No problem, Peter,” the unit replied, and did as told.

The young man looked deeply onward, getting a clear view of everything in sight. It seemed like an abandoned library to him. As he found that the coast was cleared, Ned climbed up the ladder, landing on the fire escape and watching his best friend creep around the window.

“We’re all in the clear,” Parker motioned.

“Why couldn’t we use the front door?” Ned breathed out,” I mean, doesn’t that seem more efficient?”

“Yeah, but Mr. Strange never answers the door when I come around,” Peter fixed the screws on the window,” he and Mr. Wong think I only come around to show them memes. I do show them memes, but it’s only when I have to do some official SHIELD business. I would’ve stayed on the down low, like I’m supposed to, but I had to do something to keep myself occupied. Besides,” he clipped the window wide open,” it’s more fun this way.” 

Ned nodded, although he was still debating about the situation. They slithered into the rather large room, the Leeds boy adjusting to the darkness. Peter lurked around, with the intent of keeping steady and not bumping into anything the wizards had been sorting. Ned quietly tiptoed along as he clutched the arm of Spiderman. Ned nearly slid forward on the carpet in front of him as Peter tried to turn on a light in his suit. 

“Be careful,” Parker whispered,” we don’t want to get caught.”

“But we’re looking for them!” Ned argued.

“I know,” Peter tapped the light again as it blinked,” but we have to wait for the right time. As if we’re gonna say, surprise!”

As the light came back on, the two heard a low growl. They looked to each other as Karen let out a ‘warning’ to Peter. Behind them, towering over with sharp teeth, sat a large, green plant.  
\-----------  
“Are you still sure about that whole ‘taking time off’ thing?” Wong asked as the wizards still stood in the training room, this time with cups of tea.

“Why wouldn’t I be sure?” Stephen raised an eyebrow, gently blowing the steam away,” After that battle we faced with Thanos, I’ve been drained, to say the least. We all faced a different point of view those days. Actually, I faced billions. Stark’s death changed me, I hate to say, but this means I need a new outlook on life and I have to find it. Even if it means just sitting in the sanctum, practicing spells all day.”

Wong understood what his friend was talking about. The battle he had been thrown into was a wake up call for whatever was to come. Stephen went on to discuss further plans when they heard a growl and two screams from down the hall. Wong had a look of panic on his face.

“Beyonce!” he exclaimed as they ran to the back.

“Beyonce?” Stephen asked with a confused face.

“It’s the name of the Himalayan Trap,” Wong went on as they traveled to a shaking door,” It’s a plant that feeds off of the aura of human souls. I blame you and your new music for its name.”

“We’re not gonna let it run the world,” the doctor seemed proud of his pun with his arms raised,” ready?”

The two had their arms raised and eyes on the door. Wong flung it open and faced their danger. Stephen brought out a fire spell, and let the fire guide them. Thrashing around was the plant, standing over twelve feet tall. The shiny purple head, with its teeth jagged and rough, snarled and poked around. The green vines swerved around with its leaves standing on edge. In one of the vines was a heavier young man, that Stephen recognized as Ned, a new member of SHIELD. That only meant-

“Hey Mr. Strange! Hey Mr. Wong!” Peter yelled as he slipped around the vines,” Sorry we woke up your plant. But we-”

“We’re gonna need some HELP!” Ned yelped as the plant roared.

Wong knew exactly what to do. His hands and arms moved quickly as he recited a spell. With a quick tongue, he finished off the spell and an almost blinding light appeared. Everyone looked away, while the plant dropped Ned, who couldn’t believe what went on in the sanctum. The plant growled and thrashed about, as soon as the light faded down and Stephen switched the normal light on. 

“Sh, Beyonce,” Wong softly said to the plant,” It’s alright. They’re- colleagues.”

“Thank you Mr- Beyonce?” Peter questioned.

“It’s a long story,” Wong brought up,” I also have a-”

“Why are you guys here?” Stephen questioned abruptly,” And why did you break into the sanctum? If you’re trying to show me another meme about me battling, please, Peter, just email it to me.”

Peter and Ned were slightly offended, being that they loved the memes they showed the doctor. Nonetheless, they had a mission to worry about.

“We came here on official SHIELD business,” Ned piped up as they walked out of the room.

Stephen rolled his eyes after the boy spoke. He knew there could only be one person that would call him to the headquarters, knowing fully well that he was taking time off. Wong sensed a bit of tensity, and decided to just keep quiet. 

“Did Fury send you down to get me?” Strange questioned.

“No,” Ned brought up.

“It was Ms.Hill too,” Peter noted,quickly following,” Mr Strange-”

“Doctor.”

“Mr. Doctor,” Peter continued,” we really need you. Ever since Mr. Stark died, we’ve been-”

Stephen clicked his fingers and Peter became silent. The same went for Ned, who tried to speak but miserably failed. The doctor had to put his two cents into the situation.

“This is a different situation,” he began,” Look, kids, that battle with Thanos was...hard on all of us. I’m sure you know what I mean and feel what I feel- but I can’t go out there. I’m taking a while off to protect the sanctum and practice spells. I don’t want any trouble or involvement with SHIELD at the moment, thank you.”

He snapped his fingers and the two friends tried to protest. Wong transported them outside of the sanctum, and that was that. Stephen thanked his friend and moved to the window in the front. 

“Does it sound selfish to want to take time off?” the wizard asked with hesitation.

“It’s for the best that you take time for yourself,” Wong replied,” maybe it’s-”

On the window, Peter tapped on the window, shouting that he left his mask in the house. Stephen rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned to the window. With annoyed force, Stephen opened the window and looked to the teenage hero. 

“Fine. I’ll go.”


	3. Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Saga’s mind was back on their late night mission as she walked home from school. Her friend Rose was discussing a classroom theory about Gatsby, but the girl with the brown and green eyes found herself away from the conversation. She thought about the different weapons they had stored away and what was going to be next for their family. So far, they had made a safe haven and robbed a weapons facility. It was all only another step in the plan.

That’s all that took over her mind anymore. Her final goal needed achieving, even when she spent her time away from home. Saga knew she wasn’t with her biological family. It was obvious since the minute she could comprehend it all. She felt trapped by the idea of meeting her real family. Saga wanted that more than anything-

“-Hey Saga,” Rose tapped the girl’s shoulder, pulling her away from a somewhat pointless daydream,’ Everything okay? You’ve been kind of spaced out today. All week, for that matter.”

“Just tired,’ she explained, the books close to her chest,” I haven’t been sleeping well all week.”

“Is something happening?” her concerned friend asked.

Saga wanted to tell all of her friends the truth. She wanted to allow them into her world and tell them all about her family life. She was told, however, that trust was an issue in her life. With all that happened in the past (though she barely recollected some memories) she was told that she could never be too careful. Had she slipped up her plan or her powers, there might be hell to pay. Even the thoughts of when her skin turned blue were pushed away from her mind. All she could do was smile at Rose as they approached the one floor house that had been Saga’s. 

“I just need some time for thinking,” she admitted,” I need to get more sleep too. Haven’t been able to concentrate on anything.”.

“You just get some rest, okay?” Rose reassured with a soft smile.

“Thanks Rose.”

Saga closed the door behind her. She hung up her coat with slight shame, knowing she couldn’t tell Rose (or any of their friends) what went wrong. Nonetheless, she went off to work. The door to the basement was already open, which was a hazard in itself. She hopped down the stairs and to the dryer and washing machine. The girl crawled through the white dryer, where her family was making an effort to fix up the weapons. The facility they made was near perfect (except for little kinks here and there) and Saga couldn’t be happier. 

“Hi Saga,” Hadia called from the end, where she was working on a gun with Sebastian,” How was school?”

“We just read more Gatsby, learned more equations- the usual stuff,” Saga sighed,” I would’ve love to have been here all day.”

“I thought you loved class,” Hadia mentioned, her confusion clear on her face. 

“Just English,” Saga shrugged as she walked to her side of the lab,” I feel like I can’t focus on anything else besides books and our plans. I have more to worry about that the division of fractions.”

“School’s important,” Benjamin brought up as the machine he was fiddling with sparked,” Most evil rulers got an education, like-”

Hadia and Sebastian glared at the man. He knew he should keep quiet about his examples. And about referring to Saga as an ‘evil ruler’. She had no desire to take over the world. She made it very clear throughout her time with the family that world domination was not in her sights. Once her only goal was complete, weapons would drop, their army would stop and she’d give up using her powers (or try to). 

While Benjamin started talking more and more about his education, Saga walked over to the scepter that she’d taken. It had been completely modified since the first time she saw it. When it had been raised above New York City, held in the hand of a god. A future ruler. A failed ruler. When he stood before the people, the scepter had been gold and silver. It matched the sunset with such grace, despite being so dangerous to human use. 

But most of its color had been gone by now, giving it a slick look. She adored it. Saga had been waiting all day to get some use out of it. The others watched as she placed her hand on the object. The cold metal greeted her hand gracefully as she reached for the little blue sphere. Before she could touch it, she noticed how blue her hand was becoming, the faint lines showing up more. The others noticed as soon as she pulled away. She slowly smiled as she stared at her hand, which went back to its normal color. She looked to the others then a realization came to her mind. 

“This obviously has a connection with one of my powers,” she said,” but it’s the power I can’t control. There has to be a way from me to learn to control them. I have to learn how to work on these- and I don’t think I can use google this time.”

They pondered about what to do. The other three had never been able to work on Saga’s powers with her- not even Dr. Foster could help. Benjamin sat up, the others looking to him. Saga approached quickly.

“What is it, Ben?” she asked.

“There’s a place,” he stated,” where there’s a whole library of spells. There’s books with powers we’ve never heard of, spells we know and spells we can learn. There is a book about types of ice spells that you can learn. One that can create an army for our mission. Saga, this can help you and our cause. This will get us on top. This will help you find your identity.”

“How do we get to these books?” she asked nervously. 

“Allow me to demonstrate my new weapon.”

With that, Benjamin pulled out a gun and pointed it to the wall. He switched the settings around, and fired. Hadia and Saga pulled back while Sebastian simply ducked. The group watched as the blond haired man’s weapon opened up a portal to what looked like a tunnel. He turned to the group and smiled.

“This way.”

As Saga had been coming home, Stephen had been sat down in a SHIELD headquarters room. His cloak moved gently as he looked around the room. Wanda tapped her hand against the table, while Sam and Bucky were playing some cards. Bucky was oblivious to the fact that his friend had been cheating, as he had a shrunken Scott looking at the cards on Bucky’s shoulder. Happy was standing outside, pacing awkwardly as he waited for someone. It had to be Peter, who insisted he use the bathroom before the meeting. Stephen wished he could be anywhere but here, and wished he’d stayed at the sanctum, instead of Wong. 

“So where is Doctor Banner?” Stephen asked.

“He’s in Wakanda,” she said softly,” He was meeting with the king to discuss new types of weapons for their soldiers.”

“Something indestructible, I imagine.”

“Two words,” Bucky piped up,” More. Vibranium.”

“Four aces,” Sam smiled as he put the cards down and leaned back.

“How are you doing this?” Bucky insisted.

“A captain never tells his secrets.”

Finally, Peter and Ned came rushing in. Scott went to his seat and went back to his normal size, scaring Bucky. Rhodey was right behind them, Happy insisting that they hurry in, as he had to get on a jet back to Pepper to ‘stock up’. Agent Hill walked in shortly after, explaining how she’d be taking over the meeting.   
Rhodey raised an eyebrow, but went along with it.

“Thank you all for being here on such short notice,” she said,” We have very little time for this matter, so we’re gonna just cut right to the chase.”

Rhodey nodded to Ned, who tried to pull up the videos on his computer. Unfortunately, his less desirable social media account flashed up. He tried to take it down, until Sam got up and him to where he needed to be. Ned thanked him and displayed the footage. It was a camera from one of the facilities the heroes had never been to. Stephen looked at the rolling footage carefully. The first video had been of a van pulling up to the facility, and the soldiers making their way over to the car. When, in a sudden flash, the appearance of the car changed, and it was a rundown old van, and a fight had broken out. A young man with a face tattoo split into three, a young woman with a hijab running to the door and pressing her hands on it. A blond man with a facial scar hopped out, as well as a young girl from the front seat. While the videos played, Hill looked to the crowd.

“Happy notified me that, last night, that there was an attack on one of our facilities in Montana,” she explained,” the footage provided came from the security system, and since it was made by Stark, we’ve got the best quality possible.”

“Thank you, Mr Stark,” Peter whispered awkwardly.

“So who are they?” Stephen asked curiously.

“And why Montana?” Scott questioned. 

Rhodey nodded to Ned, who flicked up a picture of Loki’s scepter. It had been modified completely, and anyone could recognize it just by the blue sphere. Each person in the room remembered the day the Chitauri came to Earth. Peter got shivers down his spine, and Hill looked to Happy, who gave a nod of understanding. He could never forget what Tony had done.

“This is the one weapon they were after,” she explained,” and unfortunately, they got it.”

Before the next video could play, they paused it. Rhodey tapped on the blond man and the photo enlarged. 

“Benjamin Neumore,” Rhodey announced,” a retired Air Force veteran. He was a prisoner of war for a few years, where he’d been tortured and experimented on. He was given the powers of super senses, though we’re not sure how he got those powers. After his time in the Air Force, he seemed to go off of the face of the earth. And that’s the case with most of these people.”

“Hey,” Sam paused,” I remember him. Ben and I used to have drinks together. We’d go to the same bar, and after he came home…”

Sam paused, then leaned back. He couldn’t believe his friend had resorted to a life of crime, while he stood tall amongst the heroes. He kept quiet as he watched Maria continued. 

“Hadia Morcos,” Hill tapped on the one woman’s picture,” She’s the daughter of Salih Morcos, the journalist in NYC. When she was seven, a chemical leak in her family home had caused a fire, which is where she’d gotten the power of heat. About a year afterwards, she went off the face of the Earth.”

“Sebastian Deeds,” Rhodey mentioned,” He was a college student at The University of Boston. He was studying to be a teacher, but unfortunately, an underground mafia had bigger plans.”

Sebastian had been marked by the mafia, with a tattoo that covered most of his face. After he defended his little brother, who had been a part of the mafia, Sebastian had been their property. Until, during a deal gone wrong at a power plant, his molecules were rearranged and he was able to split himself apart.

“He also got super strength,” Rhodey mentioned,” except when he’s split apart. That is his weakness.”

“When did he disappear?” Peter asked.

“A month later. The connection between all three is unknown, so we don’t know what they’re really working towards.”

“And the girl?” Stephen asked, staring at the paused screen,” What about her powers?”

“Well,” Rhodey paused,” We don’t know her name or why she’s with the group, but her powers...Ned.”

Ned nodded and played the video. The girl held the staff in one hand, and, with quick movements, the guards were frozen together. Stephen watched the girl for a moment, who seemed amazed by her sudden power...and sudden change of skin color. The video was paused again and Stephen had his full attention on the young lady. Those powers were odd, to say the least. But he had been familiar with these types of powers...where? 

As he pondered, Wong opened a portal, which made Peter scramble together. Sam and Bucky glanced to each other, but their attention went back to Wong. 

“Sorry to interrupt the meeting,” he said,” but we have a problem.”

“Wong,” Stephen stood up,” What’s wrong?”

“The sanctum is being attacked,” he said,” You need to come back!”


	4. Library

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Saga burst through the library doors, amazed by what was before her. This type of library was only in her dreams and she’d never seen such beauty before. The other three stood next to her, watching her scepter gently glide down the spines of the books. The smell of old paper wafted in the air. It made Saga feel so relaxed. For a moment, the girl forgot what she was doing standing in such a library. It seemed like her life was perfect and this was where she was supposed to be. Until Ben’s hands rushed to his temples, which caused the crew to rush over to him in fear.

“Are you alright, Ben?” Hadia asked quietly. 

“They’re...coming,” he growled,” And they have company..”

“You two stop the group from coming through,” Saga nodded to Hadia and Sebastian, who ran out,” Ben, if they’re close by, I need you to tell me. But it shouldn’t take me too long to find this book.”

Though Ben could sense that that was a lie. 

The group was barely at the top of the stairs when Sebastian stood in front of them. Stephen went to speak, but slowly, one man became three and the group reeled back. Peter was in utter shock as one of the clones went to attack him. Peter jumped and shot a web at the clone, whose hand was stuck on the railing of the stairs. Another clone attacked the young man just as the clone broke the webs off. The original had a pistol ready as he shot at Sam. The man held his shield up as he walked towards Sebastian 1, while Bucky pulled him in to restrain him.

“You guys go!” Bucky insisted,” Sam and I can take care of this.”

“I will stay too,” Wanda said as he pushed both clones back. Each clone became two as they fought with the young woman.

“Me too!” Scott shrunk and jumped around.

The others ran off as Sam fought alongside Wanda. Bucky was trying to fight the original man, he was questioning what they were doing there. Sebastian didn’t answer, he just struggled as he tried to get out of the hold. Bucky was too busy to notice the feeling of his metal arm weighing down until it had fallen off. Bucky looked to his side and found Hadia’s hands were a bright red. His arm had fallen to the floor, in a puddle of melted steel. Scott was trying not to laugh as he returned to his normal size.

“Bucky,” Sam asked,” Where’s the vibranium arm?”

“...I left it at home.”

Saga searched quickly along the shelves. Benjamin stood by the door, fear in his eyes. He could sense that the group was approaching. They were quick on their feet and looked ready to attack. He looked over to Saga, whose eyes lit up.

“Here we go,” she whispered as she pulled out a book, the shimmering blue cover, with worn out words, stood against the other books in a matter of seconds,” This is the key to what we want.”

“It’ll have everything we need,” Ben mumbled, then sharply turned to the door,” We have to leave now.”

Ben pulled out the portal gun and went to shoot, but he stopped. Saga asked worriedly if he was okay. His senses were telling him of another presence in the room. A presence he’d known before. He tried to figure out, until a light went off in his head. He turned to Saga and gave a soft smile.

“It’s your-”

The man dropped the gun as he disappeared left Saga alone, standing with the book and staff tightly in her arms. She called out for Ben twice before she knew she had to go. She took the gun and shot it at the floor, causing her to fall on top of Hadia and Sebastian, who formed together as one. Before Bucky, Scott, Sam or Wanda could make a move, Saga knew she needed a distraction. Quickly, she slammed her staff on the ground, and they escaped without being noticed. Through the snowy winds, the four coughed and looked for each other. Once it had died down, they saw that the three had escaped. Sam mumbled something to himself while Bucky ran to tell the others what happened. 

Stephen slammed open the door, and reeled back at what he saw. The others bumped into him, and all four fell to the ground before Benjamin, who had everything except his arms frozen solid. Standing behind him, with a menacing grin and a taste for mischief, was Loki. 

“You finally made it,” he said,”I thought I’d have this criminal all to myself.”

“Says the criminal himself,” Rhodey stood up, and Loki rolled his eyes.

“Let’s not fight about that,” he went on,” I would much rather talk about what’s been happening in your world. Where’s my brother?”

“He’s far from Earth,” Stephen said, walking up to Loki,” Where you can’t hurt him.”

“Hello Stephen,” Loki gave a bitter smirk,” Did you miss me?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“How sad. I was hoping you cared. I’m glad to see you. It’s a shame he’s not here to talk about what’s going on. But I am. So let’s just go to SHIELD headquarters, sit down, and have a chat about what we’ve been seeing.”

\---------  
“Well this was a friendly welcome.”

Loki sat next to Ben in their holding cell, both in chains. Stephen nervously paced, waiting to see if he could contact Thor. He’d been broken about the loss of his brother and seeing him would be amazing for him. But when Rhodey came back, shaking his head, Strange sighed and turned to Loki. He was glaring up at the doctor. Stephen wondered if he remembered falling for thirty minutes. He couldn’t still be mad at that...right?The others surrounded the prisoners, ready to hear some of their explanations for what was going on. 

“So you’re planning on taking over the world again, huh?” Bucky asked, a smirk on his face as Sam adjusted his other arm,” You think you can just waltz into a facility and take whatever you want? Believe me, I don’t think it works that way.”

“It wasn’t me,” Loki explained,” I haven’t been in your pathetic facilities, nor do I need that faulty weaponry you have.”

“Like your staff?” Sam asked, crossing his arms. 

“So they finally replaced Captain America,” the trickster chuckled,” At least you’ve done something right. I’ve been away too long- but I do know Stark is gone, which is unfortunate,” He looked to Peter and Ned, who nervously waved, then turned to Rhodey,” You are hiring children now?”

“Hi, Mr. Loki,” Peter stepped forward, his friend trembling,” I’m Peter Man, Spider Parker--dang it.”

Loki raised an eyebrow at the strange child. He heard about the boy on the news, when his identity was exposed. Though he was not in his spider costume, Loki could tell that revealing his identity was not a hard task. The adults watched as Peter interacted with the god, Ned still trembling behind him. 

“I just wanna say that, even though you tried destroying the world, your tricks are pretty neat. And I think-.”

“Seriously?” Ned whispered.

“What are you doing-?” Scott asked,” He’s the bad guy!”

“Let him finish,” Loki insisted.

“Not really,” Peter shrugged,” Thor said that he was--sorry, sir,--is misunderstood. He’s actually a cool guy.”

“He wouldn’t think Noobmaster69 was so cool,” Loki mumbled, a smirk on his face. 

“What’s more important,” Stephen brought up,” is discussing what happened. I want to know about the two thieves, the girl--AKA your disguise--and this idiot.”

Stephen gestured to Ben, who gave an offended look. He claimed the only ones who could call him an idiot were the members of his family. Loki rolled his eyes, having heard these antics before. Out of all the people he could get stuck next to, he, in a way, got lucky. Ben could tell him what was going on. 

Stephen went on to question Loki about where he hid the book and what he was doing. Again and again, Loki had to defend himself. He hadn’t been involved until he’d sensed their presence. The four of their images were still lodged in his mind, but one was much more outdated than the rest. Finally, Ben decided to speak out.

“Loki was not the little girl.”

“And we should believe a criminal?” Wanda asked.

“If he was with us,” Ben went on,” His plan would be much more clever than to pretend to capture me. He would have had a much better attack plan--and besides, he doesn’t need a spell book. He knows all of the tricks already.”

The group looked to each other. Their eyes suggested answers and each one was taken in. Bucky, Stephen and Sam knelt down and unchained the god. He thanked Sam and Bucky, but glared at Stephen. The wizard didn’t know why the trickster was being such a pain. Nonetheless, he stood beside Peter, feeling a small connection. 

“So why did you need the book?” Wong asked as he stood closer to the prisoner.

“It’s for what we’re planning.”

“And what exactly are the four of you planning?”

“All I can tell you,” Ben sighed,” is that none of you will be safe. Sure, we may not all have the same motives, but once the girl gets what she wants, it’ll be easy to push her thoughts to bigger and better things. We won’t back down, even when we find what we want.”

“You won’t find it,” Stephen insisted,” Not when we have all of our eyes on New York City.”

“Now,” Ben’s laugh was soft and subtle,” Who said anything about The Big Apple?”

No one spoke after that. They were quietly taking in the idea of another major city being attacked. Philly? Dallas? San Francisco? What if it wasn’t even in the country? Stephen stepped forward, glaring down at the villian. Ben looked up to study his face. He didn’t like Stephen for a number of reasons, but he had to respect his powers. After all, they were what Saga admired.

“Let’s go try to find the other three,” Rhodey said as the others started shuffling out, Stephen lingering, but Loki staying. Once they left, Loki glared at Benjamin, who looked up without much of a care.

“I asked all of you, no, begged all of you to keep a close eye on her while I was gone,” Loki growled,” I told you that her safety was important, I said that she needed to be cared for, but you didn’t do your job.”

“Not the reunion had in mind?” Ben laughed, until Loki pulled out a dagger and put it to the man’s throat, “Take it easy, take it easy. Look, she’s fine for now, she’s not gonna get hurt. In fact, she’s doing all of this just to get to you. She misses you, Loki. It’s been years and you know it. We’ve been through a lot. We know your plans with Thanos didn’t go down well.”

“And how do you know that?” Loki glared. 

“Well, when her and I turned to dust…”

“I made a mistake, but it got fixed, didn’t it? My child is alright for now, but I have to protect her from whatever the hell is going on in her mind. At least Hadia, Sebastian and Poli are keeping her safe. Then again, Miss Montgomery would keep her from getting into trouble like-”

Ben gave a sympathetic look. The last name was a sort of vague memory at the moment. Loki didn’t know what had happened because--well, he hadn’t been home in forever. Loki’s face softened for a second as the dagger disappeared. He could tell that something was off as he straightened up, taking a deep breath as he rose. He looked to the man with a sympathetic face. 

“Did she fall victim to his snap?”

“Not at all,” Ben shifted awkwardly,”After Saga and I faded away, Poli felt lost. Sebastian and Hadia told me they saw a change in her that they've never seen before. She was angry and heartbroken because she couldn’t save the one person she had to protect. After about a year, they thought we weren’t coming back.”

Ben could recall what Sebastian told the two about the day Poli left. The beautiful Native American woman, with two big cases and a face of great heartbreak, looked for comfort and their last words to her. But what could Hadia and Sebastian say? They understood her pain and why she was leaving, but she worked so hard to build up a new life. But everything faded. Everything was gone. Loki felt the weight of the world in his chest as he listened to Ben, feeling guilt and anger all at once. However, the god had a new mission as he walked away. 

“You know it’s not just you she’s looking for,” Ben called,” We were on a mission to find the parents. So where’s the other one?”

“That’s for me to confess.”


	5. Library

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

The three stood around Hadia’s desk in her office, the book’s cover glimmering in the lamp light. The young woman and Sebastian stood on each side of Saga, who sat in the chair. She tapped her fingers on the wood nervously. She felt the weight of the world on her shoulders as she watched the book. Her stomach burned with anxiety and her heart was in her throat. Hadia placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. She looked up and the woman smiled.

“Are you ready?” Hadia asked softly.

“Kind of,” Saga admitted,” I just...we hear about curses and spells that hurt people. You know how afraid I am to hurt people…”

“Saga,” Sebastian stepped forward,” We won’t let anyone get hurt. When we go to any town in search of your mom or dad, we’ll get citizens to safety--we promise.”

Saga knew her family would keep their promises. Poli did and they would too. Saga thanked the two and turned back to the book. With a deep breath, she opened the book and looked deeply at the yellowing pages. Hadia and Sebastian leaned in, reading the dark and faded ink. The young woman leaned in at the top of the page, where there was a few lines written in red ink. Saga squinted and tried to read it, but it was near impossible. 

“‘Whomever comes across this book may find themselves down one of two paths,’”, Hadia read, “‘One can lead to true peace. The other, with consequences to last. You choose…’ You are going to be much stronger with this book.”

“Let’s see what we’ve got.”

Saga flipped the pages to show spells and chants they could use. Saga’s eyes lit up as she traced her finger across the pictures of glacier spells and freezing spells. An ice minions spell stuck out to her, but Saga would save that for later. She felt excitement in her heart as she read each title off. The other two watched as the girl read on. She felt overwhelmed at the number of spells and, when she had doubt about her powers, she recalled the staff in the corner of the room. There was something about the staff that brought her powers out more. She’d been told by Poli, when she went to play in the snow with other kids, that she had only been half human. That was the only explanation she’d been given, but Saga was curious for more. 

“What else am I?” Saga asked as she stopped reading, “I mean, Poli told me that I was half human, and she never told me what else I am. I think it’s important to know now, don’t you agree?”

“I do,” Hadia sighed,” It’s only fair. Saga, that part of you that can control the ice and snow, that changes appearance completely, is that of Jotun descendent.”

“Like from my mythology books?” Saga asked and received a nod,” So that means I’m some kind of half-goddess.”

“I suppose you could be right,” Hadia shrugged,” but you need to understand that you’re still learning to use your powers. You are still training and you won’t be perfect right away.”

“Oh, I agree. I have to practice and make myself stronger. Even if I’m not perfect by the time we go out there to find my parents, I’m working towards becoming powerful and trying to be something you and others...and Poli...knew I could--” Saga paused and looked around the room,” Guys, where is Ben?”

Hadia and Sebastian looked around the room then to each other. They didn’t realize that Ben wasn’t with them until they stood beside her. Their eyes went wide with fear and worry for their friend. Saga looked back at the book as she realized that Ben’s disappearance was from another force…

“He has to be back at SHIELD,” Saga leaned back and stood up, “We have to go back and get him.”

“Oh, no no no,” Sebastian looked to Hadia, not knowing how to take care of the situation.

“Saga, that’s not a good idea,” Hadia said,” You saw how tough they were. It’s a miracle the Avengers didn’t kill us! If Ben’s not dead, he’s got maximum security surrounding him. Let’s just forget about it and--”

“Ben is family,” Saga protested,” He needs protection just as much as the rest of us. Poli would have saved him--she wouldn’t leave him behind.”

Hadia and Sebastian felt their hearts in their throats. Poli really would have protected Ben. She would’ve gone back, snuck her way in and brought Ben back in less than a day. Hadia looked to the girl and, oddly enough, she saw Poli in her eyes. For the first time in years, the woman saw her old friend’s strength and confidence on the face of the girl they were all keeping safe. Hadia placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder and looked into her eyes.

“If we’re gonna get Ben back, we need to work on your powers.”

Saga wholeheartedly agreed, a smile on her face. Sebastian was standing by the chair, biting his fingernails as he watched the girl flip through, finding both a wind spell and an ice spell. Saga grabbed the staff and read the ice spell first. It was to turn anything she touched into ice. Hadia brought her a nearby pencil holder to use. Saga thanked her and turned to the book. She rubbed her hands on the ball of the staff, then used her two index fingers to make a circle on the top. She looked to the two adults, then looked back to the staff. Her hands were faintly blue but not like they had been. When she went to touch the pencil cup, it didn’t freeze at all. She did her actions twice with the same results. She was obviously getting frustrated, but Sebastian decided to step in.

“Close your eyes and just imagine the pencil cup freezing,” he suggested. 

“But I am--”

“Then think deeper.”

Saga sucked her breath in and closed her eyes. She did her spell all over again, this time internally chanting for the spell to work. Hadia and Sebastian watched closely as the girl drifted her hand to the pencil holder. She kept mumbling as she focused...focused...focused...and, slowly, as her skin turned dark blue and the markings returned, the pencil holder began to freeze. The sound of ice cracked against the metal and her family watched in disbelief as Saga let go and opened her eyes. Her hand had been replaced by an icy mark. Though the whole cup didn’t freeze, this had been progress. She looked to Hadia and Sebastian, all smiling and hope in their eyes.

“It worked,” she laughed as her skin changed again,” It really worked!” 

“We knew you could do it!” Hadia said,” Now, let’s try the icy fog spell.”

This would be an easy spell. For this, Saga had to stand. With her staff in hand and eyes closed, she swung the staff in a gentle circle. The ball shone vividly against the room’s walls. Hadia and Sebastian stood back in fear of something going completely wrong. Without warning, Saga stopped moving and slammed the dull end of the staff onto the ground. The whole room became covered in a thick, light blue fog that shocked all three of the members. Hadia coughed and Sebastian waved through. They finally made their way towards each other, scared for what happened to Saga. Then, they heard her laugh as she walked towards them. Her skin was dark blue, again, her markings now prominent, and her eyes were a rich red. The two smiled as she stood before them. 

“I did it,” she said as she set the staff aside,” I did it!” 

“Now that you’ve worked on spells a little bit,” Hadia said,” Maybe we should work on-”

Saga gave a confused look when the woman stood talking. She asked both her and Sebastian what the problem was. When she looked at her hands, she noticed that her skin remained blue, with the markings in tact. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight. 

“One of two paths,” Hadia mumbled.

“The path that got me to my true self,” Saga whispered,” I guess it was finally time to show off who I really am. Now, before we can save Ben, shall I practice more spells?”

Saga nodded and flipped through. She stopped, just for a second, when she saw the spell that could create an army. And it sent chills down her spine. 

\--------

“So, Mr. Loki, where have you been hiding this entire time?”

Peter sat on the couch next to Loki, full of questions and curiosity. Everyone had been sitting in the lounge area of the headquarters, resting or relaxing before their mission ahead of them. Ben was being watched by a monitor so the others could keep a close eye on him. Stephen was watching the two as he moved his hands with tiny movements. He didn’t want the trickster to hurt Peter in any way, knowing that Tony would lose his mind if he had seen this interaction. However, he kept quiet and simply looked down. 

“I’ve been everywhere, Peter Tonyson,” Loki explained,”Different times, different dimensions, countries on Midgard and other realms. And, since Asgard was destroyed, I’m surprised that I haven’t been caught by my brother.”

“I think we’re all a bit surprised that you haven’t been caught doing anything wrong,” Stephen said aloud.

“Does your opinion have to be out loud?” Loki asked,” You’ve been insulting me since I got here. I thought we were supposed to be on the same team and you keep putting me down. But that’s the way it’s always been with you, hasn’t it?”

Stephen glared at Loki, ready to spat an insult back, when Rhodey put his book down and looked to the two. 

“Can you two lovers stop it?” he asked, “We can’t keep yelling at each other when we have a mess on our hands. And it’s not gonna get us any closer to those criminals,” to which, Loki gave a small laugh and conjured up a tiny knife,”What?”

“Choose your words carefully, sir,” he said,” Criminal is not the word I would use to describe such a crew. And I--lovers?”

“Criminal is the exact word I’d choose-”

“Keep your mouth shut, Doctor,” he said.

As Loki shot back insults, Peter slinked into the couch. Bucky,Sam and Scott watched with interest, keeping quiet as they watched a fight unfold. Loki thought his threats were the end of the fight, but Stephen had more to say.

“You want me to keep my mouth closed for telling the truth? What we witnessed was a new kind of villain. We have a new threat on us and your only thought is to give them a slap on the wrist. It makes me think that you have ties with them, especially the girl that stole my book.”

Loki bit his lip, not wanting to tell the truth. If Bucky hadn’t stepped in, Loki felt that his whole world would come crashing down. Stephen looked to the trickster, thinking of what the guy could say. But alas, they were interrupted.

“What’s our next objective?” Bucky asked.

“My suggestion? We wait,” Rhodey said,” I mean, if they actually care about their friend, they’re gonna come back for him, right?” 

“They’re not gonna come back for me!”

The others glared at Ben, but they didn’t say a word. The group was assigned little tasks, such as making sure the security system was okay and watching over the sanctum. Rhodey was left with Stephen and Loki, who would not see eye to eye. The man smiled as an idea came to mind. 

“Penn and Teller,” he said, proud that he gave them a nickname Tony would have wanted,” You two need to check out the weapons facility, okay? Don’t go crazy or I will find out.”

The two nodded and Loki walked down the corridor. Rhodey sighed and went to work on his own task, but Stephen stopped him.

“Do you think that he’s been more...hostile to me?” 

“I think that’s just his personality. Don’t try to take it too personal. I think we got him on our side now.”


	6. Weapons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

The weapons room was stocked from top to bottom. Stephen had uneasy feeling as he stepped into the room right behind Loki, who looked around with a pleased smirk. Even if he had to work with the wizard, he could be surrounded with the type of weapons he could use in battle. The trickster grabbed a simple laser and pointed it at a bare wall. Before Stephen could stop him, Loki had put a small hole in the wall, showing the room next door. He looked down at the piece of weaponry and tossed it in an unimpressed matter. The wizard caught it and glared at the god. 

“Can you be more careful?” he asked. 

“This weaponry is nothing like the kind we had on Asgard,” Loki sighed as he brushed his hand against a cannon that was built by Stark. To touch the man’s initials felt painful, oddly enough,” When I was the ruler, we built new inventions to protect our realm. They were more advanced and widely used in aiding our military. Asgardians were the best soldiers of any realm.”

“You were ruler of Asgard?”

“Only for a little while. It was after Thor went off to find those Infinity Stones or whatever...but I miss ruling Asgard.”

“And I’m sure they miss you too,” though Stephen didn’t mean for his words to sound sarcastic, they came out as such. 

“You just don’t know when to keep your mouth shut. You just make everyone feel like they’re--just forget it.”

Stephen simply walked up to another Stark invention. He felt utter guilt just staring at the weapon. So, when he picked it up, the wizard was in his deepest feelings. He wished he could’ve saved Tony. His sacrifice would never be forgotten by the man. Stephen aimed the weapon to no particular spot, but he just so happened to have his eyes on a distracted Loki. The blast of lightning shot at Loki, who dodged it in a matter of seconds. The trickster was angry, until he saw the playful smirk on Stephen’s face.

“Huh, it still works.”

“Ah, so that’s how we’re playing it,” Loki said as he picked up a weapon and aimed it at the wizard,” so be it.”

Stephen froze the trickster, who tried to break free from the spell. Stephen simply stepped out of the way. Loki shot the weapon at an empty space. The wizard smirked and high fived his cloak. Loki brushed the hair out of his face and picked up another gun.

“Just as insane as the day we met,” he said, which, honestly, confused Stephen.

“You mean when you came to Earth looking for your father?”

Somehow, that angered Loki even more. He threw the gun at Stephen, who simply disappeared and reappeared. Stephen stuck his tongue out at the god. 

“Really?” he asked,” How childish are you?”

“Says the one who started the fight,” Stephen sighed.

“You started it!”

After what seemed like endless fighting, Stephen shot at the god and got him in the arm. Loki fell to the ground and, though he was worried, the wizard walked over slowly. He knew how much the trickster liked to play...tricks. 

“I think we’ve done our tasks here. Come on, Loki,” the god didn’t stir and Dr. Strange felt his heart race,” Loki? Thor told me to watch out for your tricks and I’m sticking to that. Loki. Loki, please...Oh God-”

“HA!” 

Loki stabbed Stephen in the foot. The wizard grabbed his foot and stumbled into a wall of ray guns. The trickster gave a wild smile as Stephen cursed and tried to stand up right. 

“I can’t believe you thought I was dead,” Loki laughed. 

“What the hell was that all about?” Stephen was obviously furious. 

“Think of it as a little act of revenge. That’s only for the time you trapped me in a portal for half an hour. There’ll be a lot worse when it comes to everything else you did.”

Stephen couldn’t take this anymore. 

“What else did I do to you? What do you have against me?”

Loki didn’t want to cry, but he could feel hot tears welling up in his eyes. Loki wanted Stephen to break out of the spell. It was just a simple memory block and it should’ve been broken the minute the two met the first time. Maybe Stephen really was changing...Rhodey, Ned and Peter ran in. The two teens were amazed by all of the chaos that was happening, but the older of the two was furious.

“What happened in here?” he asked with frustration.

“Ask the wizard,” Loki said before promptly leaving. 

Peter and Ned looked to each other. They wanted to comfort the scary god, wondering if anyone else would. They went looking for him until, around dawn, Ned found him leaning against a balcony. Loki was watching the stars with the same tears in his eyes. As he looked over the fields, he could only recall walking up to that apartment door. 331 C was so clear in his mind...he was in his earthly disguise (Lydia) with Saga close to his side. She was only a year old and he felt so much guilt as he let go of her. 

He couldn’t blame Thor when the God of Thunder found his brother’s secret and had to bring him back to Asgard. Loki was in fear that Odin may hurt his daughter...or worse. He had nowhere else to turn to and that home was perfect. Poli took the little girl with open arms and open wings and Saga kept crying out “Mama!”. It hurt for Loki to walk away, sobbing his heart out and, even where he stood now, it burned in his soul. 

“I’m sorry,” he choked out rather loudly, realizing someone was by his side.

“Why?” Peter asked.

“I...it’s nothing.”

Peter tried to think of something to say. He knew the god was dealing with inner struggles that could not be contained. Finally, the kid put a hand on the man’s shoulder. He looked down at Peter, who gave a sympathetic smile. 

“Are you missing someone?”

“How…”

“Spider senses. Do you feel guilty about something you did?”

“It wasn’t just me. But I feel like it’s all my fault. I just wish I could have this person come back and tell them how much they mean to me.”

Peter bit his lip. He wasn’t very good at comforting others, but he was going to do his best. He took a deep breath as he formulated a idea of what to say. 

“You can’t blame yourself,” he started,” because I know what it feels like to feel guilty about something you probably had no control over. I spent nights and days crying because I thought I was the one responsible for Tony’s death-”

Loki looked to Parker, who felt a lump in his throat. He didn’t mean to say that, but it just happened. Loki slowly placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, making him scared, but when he realized that it was only to be a sense of support, Peter relaxed. 

“What I mean is,” he went on,” you don’t need to feel guilty anymore. You did nothing wrong. And, no matter what anyone says, you’re improving yourself. That’s all anyone could ask for.”

“Thank you, Peter,” Loki went to walk away, but the boy had more to say.

“Mr. Loki,” he asked,” Do you hate Dr. Strange?”

Ned, who was watching the entire time, became nervous. The god was silent for a little while, unsure how he should tell the boy how he felt. Peter was filled with regret. But after a while, it seemed like Loki did not get angry. 

“I do. And until he’s truly changed--if he ever changes--I’ll consider having a different view.”

Loki walked off and past Ned. Ned quickly ran over to his best friend. Peter stared at the god until he was out of the picture. The boy and his best friend were full of questions, but there was a burden in the hero’s heart.

“He’s really missing his brother,” Ned mentioned.

“It’s not Thor,” Peter said,” I..I don’t know who it is but it’s really eating him up. I don’t know how I know that it’s not Thor but it’s someone else. And, if I’m right, Dr. Strange has something to do with it all.”

Ned and Peter silently agreed, but they made a promise not to tell anyone else. The god needed his time alone. 

In the near morning, Rhodey insisted that a group go up to Central Park and meet Happy, who returned from his trip. Sam and Bucky were going, but Stephen, Loki, and Peter came along, in their best disguises, the others staying behind to keep an eye on things. Loki felt tension as he entered the city again. He had so much history here and just setting foot on the grounds was enough to make his stomach turn. Stephen noticed but he didn’t say anything until Loki, who was staring at a certain spot in the park. The wizard placed a hand on his arm, to which the trickster pulled back. 

“Are you...okay?” 

“This is just a symbolic place for me,” he said as he looked around the trees,” they’re beautiful, aren’t they? In some cultures, if not all, the tree symbolises strength and protection. There are times where I feel weak and that I feel like I failed to protect. I have this recurring nightmare about these trees. This place. And Thanos is always there. He mocks me for making things all wrong. By taking the only thing I...why am I telling you this?”

In disgust, Loki kept walking. Stephen looked to the god with sympathetic feelings. Whatever mental battle he was going through, he was having a hard time keeping it in. The group approached the three. Happy was holding a silver briefcase, and Pepper was holding Morgan’s hand. She whispered something to her daughter, who lit up when she saw Peter. He smiled and knelt down with open arms.

“Peter!” she squealed, hugging the boy she saw as an older brother. 

“Hey Morgan!” he said as he stood up, still holding onto her,” How’s my peanut?”

“I started doing karate,” she proudly said as the group approached.

“That’s great,” he said,” You might be stronger than me one day. Hello, Mrs Stark! Hi Happy! My aunt says she’s looking forward to Friday.”

While Bucky, Sam and Peter were talking to Morgan, who looked up to her father’s friends, Stephen thanked Happy for bringing down the case. The older man shrugged and said that it was no big deal. As they talked, Loki watched the nearby group and the interaction with Morgan. He felt as though he was too scary to approach her, so he kept quiet. Instead, he walked up to Pepper, who was surprised that he came up to her. 

“I’m sorry for the loss of Tony,” he said,” though he was somewhat of a jackass, he saved a lot...especially for me.”

“Thank you, Loki,” Pepper expressed,” We miss him but he was selfless and I am thankful that I got to love someone like him.”

“I see you have a daughter. She’s beautiful--I know how hard it is to raise daughters so I wish you luck. But, I suppose watching your children grow up is a blessing. Children are wonderful.”

“We should get going back,” Bucky mentioned as he gave a last hug to Morgan,” Stay safe, Little Stark.”

Morgan giggled and waved to the men, who were happy to spend time with their ‘niece’. Stephen handed the briefcase to Sam, who thanked him as they walked back to their car. The wizard caught up to Loki. After he heard what the trickster said, he only had one question to ask.

“Do you have kids?”

“What does it matter? Are you a parent?”

“No, I’m not,” Stephen raised an eyebrow.

Loki bit his lip as he walked away. He wanted so badly to say something but he still had hope that the spell would break on his own. Before he could get into the car, Stephen spoke up.

“I don’t know. There’s just something about you that screams ‘parent’. You’d be a good parent.”

Loki stopped in his tracks, his mind racing. Stephen felt as though he said something wrong, until the trickster turned back to him.

“You do?”

“Sure. You seem like a strict and scary parent, but when you have kids, you would be the type of parent your kids could come up to and just talk. You’d probably make sure that your kids were safe and you’d just be motherly...or fatherly.”

“Motherly sounds about right,” Loki said with a smile,” Thank you, Stephen.”

The wizard smiled back as they got into the car. Loki thought about the man’s words on the way back to the headquarters. He was wondering if the magic was finally wearing off and Stephen could remember everything. For now, it was progress and he was so thankful for it.


	7. The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Saga studied the patterns on her face. The mirror held the perfect image of the girl. She was, in a sense, back to her roots. The girl was finally true to herself. Sebastian and Hadia were happy for the young girl. She was thrilled, but she was still anxious to attack. Hadia stood beside her, a nervous smile on her face.

“Are you sure you want to do this now?” Hadia asked,” You don’t have to do this. You don’t even have all of your powers ready.”

“I know, but if you guys got hurt, and I wasn’t there to help, I would feel guilty. In this form, I can use what I’ve learned and I can help you guys. Please?”

Hadia looked to Sebastian, who gave a worried nod. Hadia agreed to let the girl come. Saga thanked the woman and went back to looking in the mirror. She studied her eyes and, once again, the patterns on her skin. They would be leaving soon, but for now, Saga couldn’t help but admire herself.

The silver briefcase had two glass beams in it. Rhodey recognized it as a security system, one of Stark’s last inventions. Peter held one of the beams with excitement and fear. Ned touched it and admired it strongly. The two wanted to be the ones to set it up and Rhodey agreed, but they had to have Sam watch over them. Bucky laughed at the misfortune, until he noticed that Stephen was starting to act...strange.

“Are you good?” Bucky asked.

“Where’s Loki?

“I think he went to check on the prisoner-”

Stephen quickly brushed past the people. The wizard could tell that something bad was about to happen and he had a feeling Loki was the source. They were all as confused as one another. Meanwhile, Loki was sitting on the other side of the glass. Ben leaned against the glass, waiting for this nightmare to be over.

“How can I convince you to let me out of here?” Ben asked.

“You can’t,” the other man said,”You’re going to stay here and think about what you’ve done.”

“You sound just like a mom. Let me guess, you’re keeping an eye on me because I’m your one ticket to seeing your daughter.”

Loki wouldn’t confirm nor deny such claims. He simply stayed quiet, trying not to think about his daughter. But Ben was the one piece that he had to hold onto. Ben knew he was getting to the trickster’s head and that put a smile on his face.   
“Want to know how she feels about you?”

“She hasn’t truly met me,” Loki grumbled,”She probably doesn’t even remember my face.”

“That’s true,” Ben said,”She honestly doesn’t say much. Saga just wants to see her parents again. She misses you and she doesn’t even remember you.”

Loki paused as he tried to hold back tears. He didn’t expect her to remember anything, but ht was hoping otherwise. He could only picture the baby she once was. So tiny, so fragile. He never wanted his daughter to be as corrupted as he was. Before Ben could continue to talk about Saga, Stephen burst into the room. He had a serious look on his face as Loki stood up. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked,” Can’t you go bother the others?”

“Loki, step away from that man,” Stephen said as he froze Ben in time,” He’s dangerous and I have a feeling he’s gonna try to manipulate you. I need you to trust me.”

“If this is some kind of way to win my admiration and respect, this is a sad attempt,” Loki went on as he unfroze Ben,” After everything you’ve done--”

“What the hell have I done to you?” he finally snapped,” I made you fall for thirty minutes. I’m sorry- I was worried for the safety of Earth and the people on it. Or was it that I found your father? You’re welcome by the way-”

Loki couldn’t take anymore of this behavior. He went to the backroom without a word. Stephen looked to Ben, glaring, and following the trickster. He called his name three times before he heard a soft laugh. Stephen swore he’d heard it before but he couldn’t pinpoint who it came from. Until he saw the slim hand in the doorway.

“Do you remember,” a female voice asked, “years ago, there was a woman you met at a bar? She had long black hair, a slim waist and a smile, as you described, like poison? You met her when you both ordered the same martini and gave her a smile. You talked about family and friends and how your career was going to impact your entire life. She trusted you and you took her home and-”

Stephen felt his heart drop when he saw the woman before him. It had been a long time since Ben he’d seen the persona. It didn’t surprise him at all, but he knew the wizard was in a state of shock. Loki, or Lydia, gave a smile that really was like poison. 

“Well, you know the rest.”  
“Lydia Turner... Loki, I don’t understand.”

Loki frowned for a second, then the smile returned. Stephen became tense as his hand was grabbed. Everything grew bright, then he was standing at the end of a hallway. The building looked familiar and then he remembered where he was. He was living in his first apartment just outside of Manhattan. Early 2002, he recalled, as heard the elevator door open. 

At the end of the hall, he saw Lydia--well, Loki--getting off. She was nervously moving her hands as she approached his apartment. She was afraid to knock, her eyes lowering to the floor. A hand went to her stomach and Present Day Stephen curiously watched. He called out to her, but she couldn’t hear him. Finally, she knocked on the door and a younger Stephen answered the door. God, he looked like an arrogant douchebag. The younger Stephen peered at the woman. 

“Can I help you?” he asked. 

“Stephen,” she said as she tried to get in,” we need to talk.”

“Woah, woah,” he stopped her,” Who the hell are you? Please leave-”

Lydia tried to say her name, but the doctor wanted to make her leave. Present Day Stephen watched the interaction, remembering what an awful person he was. Before he shut the door, the woman pried it open once more.

“I’ll have the martini, with a hint of mint and strawberry.”

“Wait...Lydia?” the young man paused,” Can we talk tomorrow? I’m about to be late to a New Years party.”

“But it’s important.”

“So is this party. Now, if you don’t mind I have to-”

“Stephen, I’m pregnant!”

Both Stephens felt their whole world shatter. Present Day Stephen grabbed his mouth as the words played out in his head. He was a dad, he had a kid, he got Loki pregnant...the younger Stephen tried to process what the woman had said. Then, as she gave a smile, he gave such a scowl that discouraged her. 

“So you came here to get some kind of money from me?”

“Not at all!” she said nervously,” I came here because I thought that the three of us could be a family-”  
“I don’t have time for family!” he loudly spoke, angering his older self,” I’m going to be at the peak of my career and I have no plans for a baby.”

“So you can enjoy being with me and doing what you want until there’s a serious issue?” Lydia stood up for herself,” What kind of a person are you?”

“What kind of a person are you? You’re the one who decided to sleep with me. I thought it would just be drinks and a goodbye, maybe another date. I didn’t expect this to happen. I wish you and the baby the best of luck, but I am no position to take care of it. Now, leave and let me get ready for my party.”

As the door was shut, Present Day Stephen tried to open the door. He wanted to yell at his old self and tell him he was being an idiot. That he had to raise this child with Loki. But there was no use and Lydia walked off crying. She was followed by Stephen, who kept apologizing as the elevator doors shut. 

He opened his eyes and Lydia was still staring right at him. She was trying her best not to cry but it was getting harder and harder not to. Ben was quiet but he knew there was a storm brewing. 

“Do you remember how you told me that I was quite a gal? Remember when we danced to songs of your generation? And how you held me in your arms when we lied in bed? You convinced a lost lady that she found her knight. Until she ended up pregnant with a daughter you couldn’t be bothered to be with.”

“Wait a minute...are you telling me that the girl in that video is my daughter?”

“Our daughter. You turned me away when I said I was pregnant. You told me that you couldn’t deal with us and you shunned us away like the bastard you were! Or still are?”

Lydia turned away as Peter and Ned entered the room. They gazed at the lady, who gave them both a gentle smile. As she transformed back to Loki, confusing the two boys, Stephen spoke up.

“I...I don’t know what to say.”

“Of course you don’t,” Loki scoffed,” Of course you don't. You're only listening now, because you realize how irresponsible you've been. I thought that you would remember when we... I have to leave before I do something horrible to you.”

As Loki left, Stephen sat back and thought. He was a dad. He had a daughter. And he completely screwed up. Peter and Ned, however, broke out into smiles.

‘Mr. Loki really is a shapeshifter!”


	8. Her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Stephen found Loki sitting in one of the meeting rooms. He was watching the footage again, eyes on the young girl. He let a few tears escape down his cheeks as he watched her. He felt like he was still failing her, even if he was trying to find her now. He was losing hope that he would ever see her again. Stephen sighed and took a seat across from the god. Loki saw him but didn’t say anything. He was angry with Stephen, but he had just as much anger for himself too. After they watched the footage once, the wizard spoke up.

“Is that her?” he asked.

“It is.”

“She’s beautiful...look, I need to apologize for everything. When we met, I was an arrogant, self obsessed douchebag. I didn’t even think about the consequences of my actions or what we were doing. And I’m not saying she’s a consequence. I have done horrible things in my life. I’ve treated people unfairly, and thought I was high and mighty, when I was just a clueless fool. But when I saw you in that bar, I felt love. I just didn’t act the way I should’ve. You didn’t deserve my torment and you certainly didn’t deserve to be in the situation you were stuck in.”

Loki watched as the doctor studied the video. The trickster knew he was somewhat to blame, so he took a deep breath and put his hand on Stephen’s. He jolted slightly as they made eye contact. 

“When I left,” he admitted,” I put a spell on you. I wanted you to forget that I ever came to you and told you that I was pregnant. And, if we were to meet again, that the spell would break and everything would come back. But it didn’t and I’m sorry...but I know that you deserve to be forgiven.”

“Thank you…Why were you on Earth, when we met?”

“I ran away from Asgard. My father was getting to me, and his love for Thor--at the time, I felt jealous. Alone when I truly wasn’t. I disguised myself as Lydia and hid here. I was on the streets for two weeks without anything. I then met Polikwatiwa- a sweet woman with the most beautiful wings. She knew I was more than a woman- actually, the prisoner did. Super senses, Hadia provoked memories and Sebastian had the strength of thousands, and the ability to duplicate. Anyway, they were in the care of a woman they called Dr. Foster. She was, still might be, tough, protective, but she was one hel of a genius. She was probably smarter than you.”

Stephen nodded and looked back at the footage. He had so many questions in such a short time frame. He looked back at the trickster who was nervously studying her picture. They were both about to cry now.

“What’s my daughter’s name?”

“Saga,” Loki said,” It means Story. I thought it was beautiful and her entire life is going to be a story. I hated to leave her...she was only a year old. Thor came back to find me and I was so afraid that Odin might hurt my baby. I could only do what I thought was best.”

Stephen agreed it was best and that Loki was only doing what they could. As they watched the screen, they knew they had to work together to save their daughter. They would protect her any way they could. And, in that moment, the two finally had peace. 

Hadia and Sebastian were still reluctant to let Saga join them. She was setting up the camera for their return, assuming all went well. She was going to make her statement to the world and then they’d begin their search. The girl’s thin, blue hands dusted off the camera as she looked over her notes. She was going to make the world look for her parents, no matter what. 

“Are you ready to go?” Hadia asked softly.

“Yeah...we’re not gonna hurt anyone, right?”

“Of course not!” Sebastian butted in,”We’re only gonna put the video out there and look for your parents. But if anyone hurts us, we have to defend ourselves.”

Saga nodded and looked back at the camera. The crew gathered their belongings and went towards their underground road. They hopped into the van and drove off, with the girl nervously clutching her staff. She had a lot resting on rescuing Ben.

The crew was spread around the longue area just before the break of dawn. Wanda was slumped on the couch, fast asleep. On the other side, Peter was curled up in a ball, Ned snoring in the middle. Rhodey was playing UNO with Bucky and Sam, though they were growing frustrated with each other. Loki studied Scott, who was snoring on the floor. The trickster had his chin in the palm of his hand, then a mischievous thought in his mind. He smiled as he conjured up a marker. Stephen glanced over, knowing what he was doing. Stephen stopped Loki, suggesting a permanent marker. 

“Good idea,” he said as he conjured another marker,” Thank you, Stephen.”

“I’m glad to see you two getting along,” Rhodey mentioned,” but don’t put something on Scott’s face.”

“I’m just learning to get along with everyone,” he shrugged,” Some of you aren’t as bad as I thought you would be. I mean--”

The alarm system went off, waking up everybody. Rhodey found that people were trying to break into the house. In fear, he sent Loki, Ned and Peter to check on Ben. Stephen knew it was their daughter and that having Loki go off with the kids was not the best idea. Loki nodded then looked back to Stephen before they went to fight. His pleading look begged their daughter’s safety. Stephen nodded and ran off to stop them from getting in. 

They got to the cell. Ben was patiently waiting, smiling up at Loki. The trickster swallowed the lump in his throat and turned to the boys. Peter and Ned were busy keeping an eye out. Loki looked over at the prisoner and he had a lot on his mind. The trickster knew that Ben was his one ticket back to his baby. 

“I’m sorry to do this to you, boys.”

Loki opened the cell and threw the boys in. Ben was dragged out and the two boys had their feet frozen to the ground. Ben was glad to see that Loki had his priorities straight. Meanwhile, Saga was inside the building, slipping past the group that was about to fight outside. Sebastian split into clones, in which one of them went to hit Rhodey in the head.Bucky grabbed the clone and punched him with his metal arm,causing him to stumble backward. Sam went right to Bucky’s side and fought off another clone. Another clone climbed onto Sam’s back, but Scott, now shrunken, was now helping. He threw the clone at the clone attacking BUCKY and soon morphed into one. Hadia grabbed Rhodey, who pushed her back immediately. Stephen’s head jerked as he put a clone in a time portal. But then he jerked his head to the building, being drawn by something going on. Quickly, he fled the scene and ran in. 

“What’s the occasion?” Ben asked his gear was taken off.

“My daughter is going to meet her parents. I’m afraid to do it alone and I cannot face her...will you take me to her?”

“Of course,” Ben smirked. 

Loki went to walk away, but Stephen was standing there. Tensions rose and there was a force building up. Ben stood there, completely unnoticed. 

“Loki, he isn’t going to take you to meet Saga. I will, I promise you. We can do it together.”

“I spent too long waiting for her to come back to me,” Loki spoke harshly and let out a sigh,” Ben, let’s--”

But Ben was now gone. In fact, he’d run off to join his group again. He ran into Saga, who gave him a smile.

“You escaped!” She said,” come on, we’re gonna go home and get ready.”  
“Sounds like a plan,” he replied.

As they agreed to the plan, Stephen and Loki came out of the room. Saga quickly slammed her staff on the ground, causing a sheet of ice to cover the floor behind her. As Loki was undoing her deeds, the two ran outside and to the others, who were continuing to battle. They ran towards the nearby patch of woods, where their car was waiting underground. The heroes lost the four and Stephen and Loki ran outside just as the battle had stopped. 

“Why did our prisoner escape?” Rhodey asked.

“You know who you can ask about that?” Stephe asked,” Loki. He froze Peter and Ned, let him escape and tried to stop me. You know,after you and I talked, I thought you’d changed. I thought all of your tricks and powers were behind you, and if they weren’t, at least they’d be used for good. But now I know that you can’t change. You’re evil and bitter. If you cared about our daughter, you’d-”

Loki grew angry and slapped the wizard across the mouth. He stumbled into the grass and looked up, feeling the sting on his cheek. The others watched, in shock, as the trickster stood over the wizard.

“I did care and I still do!” he yelled, “I loved her the minute I found out about her. Each day was spent with her because she is, and always had her little finger wrapped around my finger. She was my world for almost two years. Where were you? Were you too busy flirting with nurses and getting another woman pregnant? I hope Saga never finds out that you’re her father and I hope she never has to deal with people putting her down and making her feel like she’s worth nothing!”

“That’s their kid?” Scott asked. 

“How did that happen?” Bucky asked.

“Loki’s a shapeshifter,” Sam and Rhodey said at the same time.

“After all of this is over, I never want to see you again.”

Loki went back inside to unfreeze the kids. They were very understanding and the tension in the house was growing. Meanwhile, back at the house, the four were getting ready for the video. Saga was growing nervous as she stood in front of the camera, waiting for the recording to begin. Ben was setting it up so that every big screen in the world could see what was about to be presented. 

“There!” he yawned,” All fixed. We’re ready whenever you are.”

“Just a second,” she begged, taking one more look at the markings on her hands before nodding.

“We go out in five...four...three...two…”

“...and I can do a database search for them.”

Ned was insistent that he help the team find what they were looking for. Loki and Stephen were still ignoring each other, but, for the sake of their kid, they had to find her. Just then, the television turned on. The entire group looked up as they saw Saga in front of the screen. Loki’s hand fled to his mouth as he realized that his daughter was up there. And it wasn’t the way he expected to see her. 

“My name is Saga,” she declared,” I am someone who barely knows themselves. Just days ago, I discovered I was more than I had anticipated to be. I am the daughter of two people who share powers that I couldn’t even imagine having. I have been working towards being just like them--but I have no idea as to who they are. That’s why I’m looking for them. I don’t plan on hurting anyone. All I ask is for them to be with me. I’ll do anything to get them by my side. I would even take this world for my own.”

Loki was quivering at the sight of his child. Taking over the world to find them. He was proud, but mostly, he was in pain. Stephen stayed silent as he looked over, fearing what she was saying. 

“To others, I would stay inside. It’s about to be real cold.”

Ned knew he had to be quick. It was a matter of ten to fifteen minutes before anything could come up. And his entire face lit up.

“Scranton.” Ned said,” she’s in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Their equipment traces back to there!”

“Guy in the chair,” he and Peter said as they fist bumped. 

“Grab your Office gear and let’s go!” 

Loki looked away as the crew gathered their gear. Stephen wanted to say something but he just kept quiet. He simply went to get Wong in the hopes that he would help on this daring mission.


	9. The Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Saga watched the middle of her hometown completely clear out. Everyone was inside and everything was abandoned. She hated to work on a spell that could potentially hurt others. However, she knew her army would be under her control. The spellbook was in her hand and on a certain spell. It was one to make an army, and they needed a volunteer. Ben took a deep breath and stepped to the plate. The others were disagreeing anxiously, especially Sebastian. 

“This is my time to shine,” he explained,” I told you about the spell, I knew I would make my ultimate sacrifice. I deserve to do this.”

“Thank you, Ben,” Saga whispered,” You will not be forgotten.”

Saga suddenly stabbed the scepter through Ben’s chest. They all looked away, with tears in her eyes, as the transformation began. The hole in his chest began to ice up and the man, who they once recognized, became a tall, icy being who towered over the three. She gave a smile of deep passion as she reached out to him.

“You are beautiful,” she whispered,” You can make everything perfect. Do you think you can make an army that will only look for my parents and not hurt others?”

The giant grunted, but as he began to work, a smile came to her face.

The group arrived just as the chaos began. The army was searching and walking around, taking over the city. Loki felt his heart drop at the sight. He didn’t want to seem upset but he couldn’t help but feel this way. Stephen’s heart raced as he looked around, noticing everything wrong with the town. Loki thought he was just too late…

“She’s been using a lot of the spells,” Stephen mumbled.

“But not all of them,” Wong admitted,” If she begins to use magic outside of the book-”

‘Then she’ll have reached her full potential,” Loki said softly. 

“You two go look for your daughter,” Rhodey insisted,” Peter, take Ned with you and go with them. Just in case there’s people that got caught up in this mess.”

The four went off in a different direction. The group that stayed began to fight off ice soldiers that caught them. Sam threw his shield and split three of the creatures apart. The ice sounded like glass on the sidewalk. As Bucky smashed a soldier with his arm, he noticed three men coming his way. He called for Sam, who spotted the three Sebastians coming towards them. 

“Not these guys again.”

“Everyone, split up,” Sam gave out,” if there’s more of us, there’s more clones and he becomes weaker with each clone.”

The others agreed to the plan and went off in different directions, destroying soldiers as they ran. The clones split, though they were losing their power. The original Sebastian felt deep annoyance as he sighed, following Bucky. 

Wanda was manipulating the clones as she ran. They were falling at command, but they were gaining on her. Her powers and mind were working hard, but the clones were working harder. She knocked back the now three clones in her way. Though they fell over easily and she could run past, one of them grabbed her ankle. 

“Some say you...you are the strongest Avenger. I can see that this is true.”

“I guess you could say that,” she said as she slammed her foot on his hand, running off and letting them follow her. 

Sam and Bucky were doing all they could to stop these clones. They were stronger than the lot of them, but it was growing tiring simply punching them. Bucky smirked as he detached his metal arm, slapping two of the clones away from the two. Sam tossed his shield, hitting them right in the jaw. The two began to laugh.

“Vibranium for the win!” 

“Man,” Sam sighed as they fought off the villains,” For a great-grandpa, you fight like a champ.”

“A lot of prune juice and good training, young man,” Bucky replied.

“Okay Boomer.”

“...I’m not a Boomer.”

The four were all over the place. There wasn’t much conversation and all they were doing were fighting off attacking soldiers. Stephen and Loki were going to get on each other’s last nerves and the boys wanted to fix that. But how?

“Where could she be?” Ned sighed.

“I don’t know,” Stephen replied,” but we have to find her soon.”

“Great to see how concerned you are for her,” Loki grumbled,” when we do, you won’t be seeing her again.”

“Sirs!” Peter spoke up,” I don’t think you should be arguing about this right now. I hate to get into business that isn’t mine, but I think your daughter needs the two of you to be there for her. And fighting like this? It’s not gonna help much-”

A sudden ambush by ice soldiers stopped his speech. Loki’s blue skin appeared and red eyes lit up. He began to perform attacks that the others had never seen before. Stephen was in the midst of breaking a soldier when he heard a tiny cry. A little girl, lost, tried to back away from a soldier. She dropped her stuffed bear during her interaction. 

Without thinking, Stephen ran up to save her. Loki watched as the wizard stood behind the soldier. The doctor’s hands and arms stretched slightly. He moved his hands in triangular motions as quickly as he could. Then, when his arms were high in the air, he slammed his palms together twice and snapped his fingers. Fire spouted above the tips of his fingers, then, without a thought, shot flames at the soldier, who melted into a pile. Stephen grabbed the bear and knelt beside the little girl.

“Hey,” he whispered and gave her back the bear,” It’s okay. We’re gonna find your family, okay?”

Stephen picked up the little girl, who was amazed that a superhero had saved her. Just then, two women ran over to them. They were so glad that their daughter was safe, thanking the heroes for their help. Loki walked over to them, asking if they had seen their daughter. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was proud of Stephen in a weird way. Loki was just angry...he couldn’t hold a grudge. 

“She went over to the theater.”

They thanked the women, who ran to safety, and walked away. The ground began to shake by the townsquare. The group felt their hearts racing as Ben came storming in, screaming and causing a scaring chill down their spines. 

“You have got to be kidding me,” Rhodey grumbled.

The four, meanwhile, cautiously approached the theater. They walked in, discovering a palace of ice inside. They were taken back by the chilling appearance. Loki pulled away from the ice as his skin was tossed between his normal skin color and blue with his markings. Ned and Peter were amazed and told to stay right where they were. 

“She has to be on the stage,” Stephen turned to Loki,” I think she’s waiting for you.”

“She’s waiting for both of us.”

Loki took Stephen’s hand with a soft smile. Peter and Ned smiled as they walked away. However, in Ned’s earpiece, they heard that backup was needed. So, off they ran, leaving the parents to do what they had to do. When they walked in, Saga was on stage, looking away. Her back was turned, but she heard Hadia say something. When she turned around, the whole room fell silent. Loki was breathing heavily and Stephen felt like his entire world was shaking. Loki took a step forward, which his daughter did as well.

“Hello Saga.”

“I’m sorry,” she announced,” but the show’s been cancelled for today. You have to stay indoors until-”

“No, no,” Loki explained,” I’ve come back to you, dear. Your father has too. We’re finally here to meet you.”

Saga stared at the two men, who were still at the other end of the theater. Watching them and feeling their presence...the girl began to grow angry.

“How dare you.” she simply stated, Loki’s smile fading.

“What?”

“While that man could be my father, you are not my mother. But I like a good joke, so you can leave and this man can stay.”

Loki tried to reason with her. Hadia even went to speak up, but it was Stephen who had to intervene. 

“How dare you talk about your mother like that?” he asked as the two walked down the middle aisle,”You know, he thought about you everyday for the last sixteen years. Each day apart from you was another day of regret for him. You were his pride and joy. He loves you.”

“And you?” she scoffed,” My mom was around for a year and then had to leave. You were never around.”

“I know...I hate to think that I had a beautiful daughter out there, and didn't even know she existed. I regret my decision, and your mother, shouldn't have gone through this alone.”

Saga stared at the man with harsh feelings. This, quite possibly, was her father. She could believe it by his eyes and the streaks in his hair. But this person? This was not her ‘mother’.

“Then you both will go through this.”

Saga shot ice through her scepter. Stephen blocked them and dodged and defended her attacks. Loki knew he had to get to that stage. He ran from the scene and went for the stairs. As Saga wondered how she didn’t have her father’s powers, Loki was met with Hadia. He was relieved to see her face until she apologized for an attack about to occur. He apologized too, disappearing as she fell down the steps. He reappeared to the side of Saga and felt his whole world stop. 

“Saga,” he said, reaching out to her,” it’s time to come home-”

She grabbed him by the wrist and held the scepter gently to his chest. Loki allowed her to, just wanting to look into her eyes. He was still trying to find his baby. 

“You are not home!” she yelled,” You are not my mother! How can you claim something like that? I needed my mom. I needed her everyday. I grew up just wanting to be with her again because she was taken from me. She had to leave me. And now, I’ve got someone up here who claims to take her place? I will not believe you.”

Loki could only think of one thing to do. He pulled her into a forehead touch and Saga’s vision went white. She stood in a room where lighting was limited and space was open. She looked around the room, confused as to why she was there. Where was she? As she thought, Saga heard crying. She snuck over to a side where there was a crowd of people. A pregnant woman was laying up, going through labor for what seemed like forever. The woman was blue, with markings all over and red eyes, with dark hair as well. A shorter lady, a doctor of sorts, was holding a baby of the same nature. The whole room was smiling and...there was Ben! And Sebastian! And Hadia! 

“It’s a girl,” the doctor announced,” All ten fingers, ten toes and blue with all her little markings.”

“And her eyes?” 

“As red as red can be.”

Poli. She was right by the doctor’s side. Saga held a hand to her mouth, tearing up as the woman she remembered from long ago was right before her. She was so close...The baby was cleaned off and placed in her mother’s arms. Soon, their forms faded away and their skin and eyes returned to normal. The mother was thanking Dr. Foster as she cooed over her newborn daughter. 

“Hey Lok,” Ben said,” Are you gonna give her a name, like Angel?”

“Or Frigga,” Poli laughed,” After your mom.”

“Frigga’s her middle name,” the woman said,” but I want to name her Saga. It means story, and I know her life shall be one.” the woman slowly transformed to Loki,” Saga, my sweet baby.”


	10. Mom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

When Saga opened her eyes, she looked into the eyes of Loki. He, too, had red eyes and blue skin. And though his markings were different, the girl began to cry. Her tears slid into Loki’s palm and he didn’t care for a second. 

“Mom,” she cried softly.

“No two Jotuns have the same markings,” he choked out with tears in his eyes, rubbing the marking on her cheek,”Yours are truly unique.”

Sobbing, Saga flung herself into Loki’s arms. He held her tight and kissed her temple, crying as hard as he could. His daughter was back and nothing was going to take her away. As their blue skin faded, the ice in the building began to melt. Saga was afraid to let go, but when they pulled away, they both laughed at how much they’d been crying. 

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you,” Loki said,” I should’ve been there to protect you and-”

“I understand,” she said,” I’m sorry for putting you through all of this. Are we going to be a family…?”

“Of course, dear!” Loki exclaimed, pulling her back into a hug. 

When they let go, they saw Stephen walking up to the stage. Saga pulled back and looked at her dad. He felt guilty for what she went through. She had a look in her eyes that he related to. This was truly his daughter. When the girl walked closer, she smiled.

“There’s always room to start a father-daughter relationship,” she took his hand as she gave him the book.

Right now, that didn’t matter. Stephen pulled her into a tight hug, causing her to drop the book. He cried lightly, tears rolling down his face. He finally got his daughter in his arms. He was finally a father. As the girl pulled away and handed her dad the book, they heard crashing outside. The group ran out to find the ice giant attacking. Saga’s hand fled to her mouth as she looked at the creatures and Ben was standing in the middle of it all. No matter what destruction was brought upon him, he would continue to build himself up.

“The army is out of my control,” she whispered.

“We have to fight,” Stephen said,” it’s all we can do.”

The group immediately jumped in to stop the army. Stephen and Loki were back to back, fighting off what they could. The army was continuing to grow and Sebastian, who saw that Saga was on the other side, sent his clones to battle the ice army. Saga looked to Hadia with fear in her eyes. 

“We have to stop Ben!”

“Ben?” Loki looked to his daughter. 

“Yeah,” she broke one of the soldiers,” he volunteered to be the ice monster and that’s what he’s doing now.”

“While I’m proud that you did a spell amazingly,” Stephen said,” a life is in danger.”

“I know.”

“I’ve never been more proud,” Loki had to admit,” Stephen, I have a plan.”

While they ran off, Ben was becoming more agitated. He was throwing ice at the fighters and sending soldiers after them. Ned had been broken apart from Peter and was now cornered by three ice soldiers. He called for his best friend but got no response. As he threw rocks, he knew “Guy in the Chair” was in for it now. But the soldiers heard a shout. They all looked to find Saga breaking them with her scepter. Ned found it was the perfect time to run, but he found that he couldn’t. Instead, he grabbed an even bigger rock and threw it at the soldier. It hit in right in the chest, causing him to shatter. Ned looked to the girl, and though he felt fear, he didn’t make a move.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, I think so!” Ned shook her hand,” Ned Leeds.”

“Saga Strange...or whatever my mom’s last name,” she admitted,” I really don’t know.”

Ned and Saga noticed that there were more soldiers. She smirked, gave him a nod and they both attacked, one with a scepter and the other with whatever he could find. Loki stood on the corner, waiting for Stephen to give him the signal. Finally, his partner nodded and the trickster gave a loud whistle. The creature looked over to Loki. Ben went to grab him, but the trickster vanished. 

“You know,” Loki called from another spot,” I think it was a bit rude that you lied to me. I mean, can’t you give a trickster a break?”

Ben went to smash down on Loki. But then the man reappeared in front of Ben.

“I see.”

Stephen was working on his fire spell. He couldn’t do it. No matter how much he tried or worked at it, he couldn’t do it. He then had a thought. Quickly, time froze and, soon after, sparks came from his fingers. He gave a smirk and unfroze time, fire spouting. Though Ben was barely melting, the army was flooding the streets. Stephen was searching through the book, with Loki looking over his shoulder. He saw the one spell that could work. 

“This spell would burn the entire city,” he said.

“You aren’t doing this alone,” Loki said,” we have to do this in the mirror dimension. I’ll distract Ben.”

“Wait!” Saga yelled.

“We’ll be okay,” Stephen looked to his daughter,” I love you.”

Saga was joined by Ned and Scott, who helped her get to safety. Ben was still under Loki’s spell, chasing the god everywhere. Stephen began to levitate, focusing on his spell. His arms were spread out and he was ready to undone it all. But first, he looked to Loki. 

“If we don’t make it out alive,’ he said,” I want to tell you that I’m sorry. And I wish I did everything to get to know you better. And to learn to love everything about you.”

“Don’t be sappy, Strange,” Loki choked out, though he felt the same way,” We’re going to get our second chance...NOW!”

For those few seconds, the whole world stopped. Everything had melted, there was no trace of the monsters. There was little fire and Saga ran to where her parents would have been. But she couldn’t find them. She shouted for them and found that nothing was there. Her efforts were for nothing. She began to cry, holding the scepter tightly in her arms. The others were silent, feeling a sense of sorrow for the people they had lost too. So soon after so many losses…

Saga looked up and saw two figures standing feet away from her. Though they were dark from the ashes, Stephen and Loki gave a deep look to their daughter. She dropped the scepter and ran to them, the whole family hugging. Loki was holding her head in his palm and Stephen, nervously, placed his hand on top of Loki’s. And everything felt right.

Rhodey was looking all around. This was the first big accomplishment since Tony died. Something about it felt right and Peter noticed. They stood together, watching SHIELD flood in. They had a sense of pride and, though no one said it, they felt that Tony would feel the same way. Loki and Stephen were on the side, watching the world around them. But mostly had eyes on their daughter, who was showing Ned a cool snow trick. Scott got into it too, trying his hand at magic.

“Can you believe that we were brought together again like this?” Stephen asked. 

“All it took was one kid,” Loki said,” our kid.”

“Well, now that that’s over, perhaps we can start over,” the wizard turned to Loki and stuck his hand out,” I’m Stephen Strange.”

“Loki Odinson,” was the reply as they shook hands, though their smiles said so much more. 

Soon after, Nick Fury and Agent Hill approached the scene. Everyone stood straight up and there was so much tension. The director looked to his team.

“You all did an amazing job at stopping that team,” he said,” I know we’ve had a big bump in the road, but I’m sure that this means that the Avengers are coming back on top.”

“Yes sir,” Rhodey nodded.

“Now,” he turned to the three at large,” You three didn’t cause any damage to the city, so I’ll give you that. However, for stealing weapons in a locked off facility, you are all under arrest, which means you’re gonna be under watch at our HQ for the next three months. And after that,” he gave a smile,” I think we have room for you on the team.”

The three were so thankful they didn’t know what to say. Before the whole team and prisoners loaded up, Saga looked to her mom.

“Are you gonna be living at the HQ?”

“Actually,” Stephen stepped in,” I was hoping you two could come to the sanctum. Once you’re ungrounded by SHIELD, of course.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she smiled.

Even though this wasn’t the meeting they’d been hoping for, the family was glad to be back together. Their connection would grow stronger and, over time, so would their new team members. As the three were put in cuffs and sent off, they finally felt that their original journey was over.


	11. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Ned and Peter had taken it upon themselves to visit Saga almost everyday after school. Her cell was just like her mother’s back when the team started up, so it made for easy communication. They brought MJ every other day and she was glad to have made a new friend. It had been a month and a half into the arrest and they knew, if Saga was to be on the team, she needed a cool hero name. So, they sat around, trying to come up with the perfect name. 

“I still think Vanilla Ice has a nice ring to it,” MJ joked.

“I think the only one screaming his name in vain is Eminem,” Peter brought up,” What about the Frozen Clock?”

“Doesn’t roll off the tongue,” Ned’s eyes lit up,” Oh! What about Tundra?”

“That could work,” Saga looked to the group,” And you’re sure you don’t mind being friends with me?”

“Of course not!” Ned crossed a name off of the list,” It’s not every day that we get someone to join our group that’s actually our age.”

Saga smiled at her friends and continued to look through the names. Within an hour, they were finally down to two names. One was kind of funny but made sense. The other was ominous and had a nice ring to it. As Ned and Saga walked around, debating what her hero name could be, they heard the door open. Peter looked up and greeted the two. Saga smiled at her parents, who were giving their brightest smile. 

“Hi mom! Hi dad!” she greeted,” What brings you here?”

“Just seeing what our little girl was up to,” Stephen nodded to Loki.

“Actually,” Loki said,” we came here to bring some exciting news.”

Saga was curious and excitedly pressed her hands on the glass. Loki and Stephen enjoyed their daughter’s excitement. They both worked their magic and they turned to let their daughter have a look. Before her was a brand new suit. With its mixture of Asgardian armor, the ancient fabrics and a Jotunheim feel to it, the girl finally had her own super suit. Her friends watched, happy for the young girl. She kept thanking both of her parents for her new suit.

“I can’t wait to try it on!” she squealed.

“Just a month and a half to go,” Stephen looked to what Ned was doing,” ah, are you picking out your hero name?”

“Well,” Ned explained,” we’re down to the last two.”  
Loki looked over the names. All that was spared was “The Ice Witch” or “Glaze”. The trickster mulled over the two, then a smile came to his face. 

“Isheksen is a beautiful name!” he pointed to “The Ice Witch” on the paper,” Of course, if you wear an Asgardian costume, perhaps an Asgardian name would suit you well.”

“I have to agree,” Saga nodded.

Loki smiled at how excited his daughter had been. She was becoming a hero and he could not be more thankful. Stephen asked her friends to give the family a minute alone. Saga grew nervous, wondering what her parents were going to say. When they left, they looked to her, curiosity in their eyes. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.

“Saga,” Loki breathed out,” we just want to talk to you about the choices you’re making.

“When you’re out,” Stephen got close to the glass,” You’re going to start training. You have powers on your own, but you need to master them. I want to teach you some things from my library and from the books I’ve read. There’s a lot to do and it won’t be easy. We just have one question for you...are you ready?”

Saga looked to both of her parents. They awaited an answer, but when she gave a smile, they knew her exact thoughts. 

Nevermore’s crew had a lot to worry about. They knew their commander was preparing for their new trip and it could take months to arrive. However, he was willing to risk it. The man adjusted the robotic parts of his body, waiting for the alien on his computer to put in the coordinates to Neo. Saedon felt that his powers were growing on others and that his mission was tying together perfectly. He kept hovering over the computer, but he knew this was bothering his assistant. 

“Have you almost got it?” Saedon asked in a raspy, almost monotone voice. 

“I’ll just need another second,” Veelzibub looked up,” I know how you’ve been waiting for this moment.”

“Since that snap,” he laughed,” I’m going to make a difference for Neo. everything is gonna be so much better.”

Veel pressed the big bar and, immediately, coordinates came up. Saedon looked up at the screen, excitement coming to his eye. He adjusted his red, mechanical eye and looked back at his second-in-command. 

“This is it,” he turned to his friend,” Veelizbub, get everyone ready. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I hope to make a sequel in the future.


End file.
